Misgivings
by Witchwood
Summary: Was Princess Sally kidnapped? Or were all of her memories of Knothole a delusion? Very short story.


Misgivings  
  
Sally woke up with a bright light shining in one eye. Suddenly, it went away and appeared in her other eye. She tried to move, but most of her body was completely numb. She tried to open her eyes, and everything was dark and hazy to her.  
"Princess," a voice said. "Can you hear me?" She couldn't hear very clearly, but the voice almost seemed familiar.  
Sally tried to open her mouth, but it was partially sealed closed with her blood. The form that she made out stood up and began moving something away from her legs. She tried to touch her mouth, but was unable. Both her arms were numb.  
"Don't try to move. I'll have you out momentarily."  
Sally was now able to open her mouth and speak.  
"What happened-?" She whispered from weakness.  
"We were attacked." The voice replied. A few seconds passed before she asked her next question.  
"Who are you?"  
"I'm a medical holographic projection. You mustn't talk too much. Save your strength and all your questions will be answered."  
Confusion overwhelmed her more than the pain. And what confused her even more, she didn't hurt very much. She was weaker than anything else. She closed her eyes again and took a deep breath. While she waited for the medical hologram to finish doing what it was doing, she tried to assess her injuries – if that's what they were.  
She tried to move her fingers and toes, but was unable to feel anything.  
"I can't feel-"  
"I've already applied local anesthetic to your injuries."  
The figure seemed to be finished with its task. He dragged her gurney away from the fallen rubble on the floor. She opened her eyes again and was able to see more clearly than before.  
She saw what seemed to be a male human grabbing various medical supplies from a cabinet. She looked at herself and saw her royal clothing, very similar to what she wore as a child before the war. Her purple silk pants were blotched with red blood. The wall she was laying next to seemed to have crumbled and fallen on her – rendering her unconscious. She then noticed that she was on a gurney that must have been flattened from the wall.  
When the human returned, Sally recognized him as a long-hated enemy.  
"Snively!" Sally moaned. "What did you do to me!"  
"My given name is Doctor Nathaniel Mazer, but you may call me Snively if you wish. And the castle was under attack." The holographic doctor remained calm. And to Sally, he almost looked bored; with no interest in her or her incapacitated state.  
"What's going on?" Sally asked, slightly believing his story due to his reaction to her.  
"Do you know where you are?" He calmly asked.  
"It looks like a hospital."  
"Do you know your name?"  
"I'm Princess Sally Acorn!" Sally stubbornly replied.  
"Please, you must remain calm and still. Or you will further injure yourself."  
"Where's Robotnick!"  
"I know of no such person."  
"Where's Sonic!"  
"I do not know of his whereabouts."  
"What am I doing here!"  
"Please calm down."  
"Fine… What am I doing here?"  
"Do you have any recollection of any past events within the last week?"  
"I can't think straight right now."  
"You are in the operating room of the royal hospital. You were due for exploratory surgery before the attack. Thankfully we weren't operating-"  
"Surgery?"  
"For the past four months, you have been experiencing memory loss, schizophrenia, mild seizures, dizziness and loss of consciousness. Your father had ordered for-"  
"My father's alive?"  
"Hopefully."  
"What?"  
"Your father was scheduled for a visit to an undisclosed section of the Great Forest to furnish a shelter for escapees in case of an attack such as this one. It is possible that was attacked as well.  
"Is this Robotropolis?"  
"It is Mobotropolis, but you may call it Robotropolis if you wish."  
"Why aren't I in Knothole?"  
"I know of no such place."  
"The undisclosed section of the Great Forest."  
"Your neurological condition didn't permit for such trips."  
"No. I mean…" Sally paused momentarily. "Was he alone?"  
"He was accompanied by his guards, advisors and scientists."  
"Uncle Chuck?"  
"Sir Charles Hedgehog?"  
"Yes."  
"He departed with Sir Charles."  
"Was he roboticized?"  
"How do you mean?"  
"Never mind, what about Bunnie?"  
"I do not know of her whereabouts."  
Sally tried to move again.  
"Again, I advise you not to move. Even if you were able to walk, there would be no place to go. You are trapped in this operating room until help arrives."  
"Can you call for help?"  
"I have been unable to establish any forms of communication outside this room. But in the mean time, I should be attending to your wounds."  
The doctor began tending to any head injuries she might have had.  
"You have a large cut on your head. Do you feel nauseous or dizzy?"  
"No." The doctor started cleaning her wound. She still didn't feel anything.  
After he finished he reached for a hypodermic needle and a small glass bottle.  
"What's that for!" Sally demanded.  
"It is a tetanus immunization vaccine. Your medical records indicate your immunization has been eight years ago, and a booster is necessary. Wounds on the head or face are more dangerous than those on the body."  
"Let me see the bottle." He showed her the bottle.  
"Fine."  
"In the unlikely event that rescue attempts are unsuccessful, you should tell me the location of Knothole so the chances of your father's safety are increased."  
"It's located three and a half kilometers below the intersection of the Warlock and Sutton River."  
The doctor cleaned the inside of her arm and injected her with the contents of the bottle. He then stood up and walked to the other side of the room. While Sally waited for whatever was next, she closed her eyes and tried to think about what was going on.  
"My father's alive." Sally thought. "I'm losing my mind, but my father's alive!" She then thought about the doctor. He looked exactly like Snively…  
She opened her eyes in a panic. SNIVELY, THE NEEDLE, KNOTHOLE! She turned her head and looked at the doctor. He was standing by a table looking at her, noticing her panic, but not responding to it. She began to feel dizzy, and her nose began to tingle. Like when your foot falls asleep.  
She tried to sit up, but the drug was beginning to overcome her body. She heard her ears ring, and her heartbeat. Her vision was transitioning to something similar to "TV snow".  
Then all was blank.  
  
"Sal!"  
"Where am I now?" Sally unconsciously thought.  
"Hey, Sal! Wake up." Sonic yelled. He shook her arm in an attempt to wake her up. Her eyes slowly opened. "I know I took longer than I thought, but we've gotta juice! Old Buttnick's gonna be on our tails any time now."  
She stood up, still dazed. She said nothing.  
"Yo, Sal. You okay?" She checked her appearance, and seemed clean and healthy as ever.  
"I'm fine."  
"You sure?"  
"I just had a bad dream."  
"Probably because you were sittin' under the sun so long. Let's juice!" 


End file.
